Flames Shine Forth
by Ash's 1 Fan
Summary: This story is gonna have more action in it, at least I hope so. I'm even gettin' kinda tired of plain romance. But for now, its just a romance. (I won't say what type it is yet, but dio! What would you expect from me?) So please R&R. Thanks a million!
1. Prologue

  
Flames Shine Forth: Prologue  
by: Ash's #1 Fan  
  
"Kids! Time for bed!" said a fiery crimson haired woman.  
  
"Aww...already?" complained a dark haired girl of six.  
  
"It's not even nine o'clock yet, Mom!" a red haired boy of nine protested.  
  
"Yes, I know, but we have a very busy day tomorrow. We're going to an amusement park!" the mother exclaimed, making dramatic arm motions.  
  
"Really?!" both kids shouted at the same time.  
  
"How come you didn't tell us sooner?!" the boy cried.  
  
"Well..." the mother smirked, "It was supposed to be a surprise, but I guess the only way to get you to bed was to tell you."  
  
Both kids nodded vigorously and ran straight for the boys' bedroom.  
  
"Leigha, this isn't your room," replied their mother with a giggle.  
  
"Yeah, I know," replied Leigha, climbing in beside her brother, "But you and Daddy still gotta read us our bedtime story."  
  
The boy rolled his eyes, acting as if he were too old for a story, but his face always told the truth of still wanting one.  
  
"Okay, then," said the mother, walking over and sitting gently on the bed, "Which story would you like to hear? Any suggestions, Jake?"  
  
Jake took this moment to think, "Hmm...how about," he suddenly sat up in bed, getting excited, "How about one where the planet blows up because of oversized lizards!"  
  
Leigha wrinkled her nose, then hid her face under the blankets, "No! That one sounds too scary!"  
  
"You big sissy!" yelled Jake.  
  
"I am NOT a sissy, you bird brain!" Leigha shouted back in response.  
  
"Kids..." the mother gave them a warning look.  
  
"But she/he..." both started.  
  
But their mother held up a hand to stop them, "That's enough. Jake, apologize for calling you sister a sissy. And Leigha, apologize for calling your brother a bird brain," she said, letting out a small laugh she couldn't control for the last part.  
  
"Mom!" Jake yelled in embarrassment, while Leigha giggled.  
  
"Bird brain! Bird brain! *Bird brain*!" chanted Leigha.  
  
"Hey, what's going on in here?" asked a dark haired man, entering the room. Noticeably, he just got done taking a shower.  
  
"Dad! Leigha keeps on calling me bird brain and Mom's laughing!" Jake said, pointing to his mother, who had her hand over her mouth.  
  
The man put his head down, shaking it and smiling a little, "You kids..."  
  
He again looked up, "I suppose you want a story?"  
  
"Well...*she* does!" Jake said, tilting his head toward Leigha.  
  
Leigha nodded, not bothering to remind Jake that he's the one that suggested the first 'awful' story.  
  
"Okay," their dad said, sitting down on the side opposite their mother, "Which story would that be?"  
  
Jake opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, his mother interrupted him:  
  
"But, Jake...no scary stories."  
  
"Aw, man," Jake sulked.  
  
Leigha seemed to be deep in thought, then finally said, "How about when you and Mommy fell in love?" she suggested, talking to her father.  
  
The man chuckled, "She's just like you...a sap for romance," he said to his wife.  
  
The woman grinned, "That's just one of the good qualities she has of mine."  
  
Everybody was expecting Jake to complain about the story being a romance, but he didn't. By the way it looked, he was just planning on going straight to sleep.  
  
"Okay, then, that sounds like a nice story to tell, don't you think?" the father asked his wife with a big smile plastered on his face.  
  
The mother mirrored the smile, "Yeah, sounds like a good one."  
  
Leigha smiled and lifted her arms up to her father, "Hold me."  
  
He smiled more, and grabbed his little girl under her armpits and lifted her onto his lap.  
  
With her out of the way, Jake made his way to the middle of the bed, never opening his eyes. To get more comfortable, the father layed back against the bed post on one side of Jake, with Leigha still in his lap; the mother layed back on the other side of Jake.  
  
Then she began, "Well, it all started..."  
  
  
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Okay, I finally got the prologue done! Think that took me long enough? Actually, I haven't even worked on this at all...except now and I got it done within 20 minutes. So, please review and tell me if ya liked!  
And also, BONUS QUESTION!! (This is gonna be *so* hard, I don't think any of you will ever be able to answer it): Who do you think the parents are?! (drama music plays) ::shakes her head and talks to herself:: No ones ever gonna get this...it's just too hard...  
  



	2. The Adventure Begins (original, ne? ^_^)

  
---------------------------  
Flames Shine Forth: Part 1  
by: Ash's #1 Fan  
---------------------------  
  
"Hey, guys, supper's done," Brock informed the others, putting finshing ingrediants on the food.  
  
"Great!" Ash and Misty said in unison.  
  
"I'm starving!" Ash said, sitting down on a fallen tree.  
  
"Pika/Prriii!" Pikachu and Togepi exclaimed at the same time, noting that they were just as hungry.  
  
"Me, too," Misty agreed, sitting down beside Ash on the tree, as Brock handed both of them filled bowls.  
  
They were all about to bite into their food, when so suddenly, their bowls were gone.  
  
"Hey!" Ash screamed, looking ticked off, "Where'd my food go?!"  
  
They all looked around them stupidly, not knowing what happened any more than Ash did. Until they heard low, but happy munches behind the fallen tree. They looked over it cautiously, only to see...  
  
"Team Rocket!" all of them screamed at once.  
  
Jessie, James, and Meowth all looked up in astonishment that they were caught so fast, but quickly overcame that and stood straight up.  
  
"Prepare for trouble," Jessie started.  
  
"And make it double," James continued.  
  
Before they could both go any further, Meowth jumped up and scratched both of their faces, "We don't have time for da motto right now!"  
  
Jessie and James both got over their pain of getting scratched pretty quickly, "Right!"  
  
"What do you three losers want?!" Misty yelled, putting Togepi inside her bag.  
  
"We want what we always wanted!" Meowth replied.  
  
"Food!" James said quickly.  
  
"And...Pikachu!" Jessie added, before pointing her finger at Pikachu on top of Ash's head, "Hand it over!"  
  
"If you think I'm gonna give up Pikachu that easily, you're in for a big surprise!" Ash said.  
  
"Pikachuu!" Pikachu nodded, looking ready to jump off Ash's head to attack.  
  
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Jessie mouthed, shaking her finger, "Actually, you're the one in for a surprise."  
  
"Yeah!" both James and Meowth said, behind Jessie.  
  
Meowth hit a button on a control and they all saw something moving in the bushes to the right. They all froze to watch closely.  
  
Then, out came what looked like spinner that lottery balls are put into and shooken. Except, instead of balls, there were bombs. There was also a short see-through tube where the bombs could drop into, followed by a mechanical hand that would light the bomb.   
  
They still all stood frozen in place, taking in all the features. Finally, Ash crossed his arms and faced Team Rocket again.  
  
"What...is *that*?" Ash asked weirdly.  
  
Team Rocket fell over in stupidety, but quickly reclaimed themselves.  
  
"*That* is the Bomb Drop," Jessie explained, "And if you don't hand over Pikachu and the rest of your pokemon, we will be forced to use this, and you will be very sorry."  
  
"Oh, yeah?!" Ash shouted.  
  
"Yeah!" Jessie, James, and Meowth said at once.  
  
"Well, that's what you think! Pikachu...GO!" Ash said, tilting his head down, so Pikachu can jump off.  
  
"PI-ca!" Pikachu jumped off Ash and began running towards Team Rocket, but before it knew what happened, another mechanical arm from the Bomb Drop grabbed him in a tight hold, so it couldn't move.  
  
But Pikachu still tried to use thunder shock, "Chuuuuu!" yet it didn't work.  
  
"No! Pikachu!" Ash yelled, running towards Pikachu.  
  
"Stay away, brat!" James said, "Meowth, activate the Bomb Drop, now!"  
  
"Way ahead of ye, Jimmy boy!" Meowth said, watching their machine do its work.  
  
Ash wasn't paying attention to it, but Misty and Brock sure were. They saw a little door open for a bomb to drop into the tube, then land on a platform. Next, the hand lit a match (magically!) to light the bomb. Immediately, the bomb could be heard sizzling, when the platform bounced off the ground, sending the bomb flying into the air, and right towards Ash.  
  
"ASH!" both Misty and Brock screamed at the same time.  
  
But Ash still wasn't paying attention to anything around him, except focusing on getting Pikachu free.  
  
Without warning, Misty shoved her back-pack into Brock's arms, then ran towards Ash.  
  
Right away, everything started to happen in slow motion. Brock could only watch in horror as his two friends were close to extreme danger.  
  
Ash reached Pikachu, but before he could even try to free it, he felt a firm push that knocked him off his feet, sliding him toward the nearby cliff.  
  
Half of him was not on solid ground no more. He was thankful for his fast instincts, grabbing a sturdy rock that would keep him from falling...who knows how far.  
  
He realized what was happening and where he was pretty quickly...quick enough to see Misty fall right beside him, but not able to hang on to anything.  
  
He couldn't let her fall! If he didn't do something, he'd never forgive himself!  
  
Making sure his one hand had an unshakable grib on the rock, he swiftly grabbed her hand before she got out of his reach.  
  
She hadn't realized what happened as quickly as Ash did. She just knew that she would be falling down to her fate, her eyes clamped tighty together.  
  
But her world stopped...there was no strong wind pushing on her body, no rigid ground encircling her body with pain, no last memories or thoughts...just a secure grip on her hand.  
  
She opened her eyes...  
  
"Ash!" she screamed once again.  
  
Ash looked down at her from over his shoulder to make sure she was all right, "Misty! Just hang on, okay?!"  
  
She let out a slight whimper, but nodded. Ash nodded, too, trying to reasure her that everything would be okay.  
  
He looked back up, trying not to move his hand, for he knew it would slip...but it felt so uncomfortable. He saw a bright light with a bang added onto it. And to top it off...they both heard Brock scream.  
  
Misty gasped, "Oh, no..."  
  
At that moment, Ash knew he had to pull himself, along with Misty, up. However, it seemed hard enough when it was just him, let alone her.  
  
But there was not enough time. He suddenly saw a brillant flash of light, brighter than the last, appear right in front of his eyes. He was too scared and shocked to listen to the bang that followed. All he knew was that Misty suddenly weighed a ton and the rock was slipping away from him.  
  
Then, it left him.  
  
He was blind. Blind from the light, blind from the wind, blind from the darkness...  
  
**********  
  
He opened his eyes. His vision was blury at first, but once he got everything in view, he noticed he was on ground...or was he?  
  
He looked around, then he suddenly realized...he was on a steep side of the cliff he fell off of. He started to panic, but he wasn't the only one who fell!  
  
He looked around frantically and spotted her quickly.  
  
"Misty!" Ash said, trembling.  
  
He crawled over to her, she looked so still...like their was no life left in her. His eyes started shaking, hoping to see her body do the same.  
  
He put his hand on her shoulder, hoping that if he got her attention, she would wake up.  
  
"M-Misty, wake up...wake up. Please..." he wanted to hold her, to keep her warm. She felt, along with looked, so cold.  
  
But he didn't want to disturb her. He wasn't sure if she had anything broken (though he prayed she didn't).  
  
Unexpectedly, Misty started to flutter her eyes open. Yet, she still wasn't in contact with the real world. Ash could tell she was spaced out, guessing the fall had her a little traumatized.  
  
Just as suddenly, her eyes opened all the way.  
  
"Where am I?!" she asked, starting to panic. She sat up quickly, but that was a big mistake. She found out she had the worst headache and reached for her head, "Ow..."  
  
"Misty, I think you better lay down for a little bit," Ash said to her, in his most caring voice. He had both of his hand on her arms, making sure she wouldn't do anything drastic.  
  
Misty was in no position to argue, so she nodded and layed back down slowly, never taking her hand away.  
  
Yet, Ash took her hand away to take a look himself. His eyes got wide when he saw it.  
  
Misty opened her eyes a little, but felt so tired, "How bad does it look?" she asked weakly.  
  
Ash looked from her forehead to her eyes, "It...it doesn't look that bad."  
  
But Misty could tell he wasn't telling the whole truth, if it wasn't 'that bad', Ash wouldn't look so worried.  
  
"Ash, is it-" but she never got to finish.  
  
They both heard a splitting noice, like something was breaking. They looked beneath them and saw the cliff shooting out tiny cracks from the middle.  
  
Before they had time to react in any way...the ground below them broke.  
  
Again, they were falling. Since there was no light to blind them this time, they could see perfectly well where they were heading...the water.  
  
They both gasped at the same time, also seeing what else was down there...keen rocks. There were so many, the chances of not landing on them were a hundred to one.  
  
They began thinking: They had luck of surviving the first fall...they couldn't have that luck again.  
  
Until they reached the ending point. They both closed their eyes tightly, waiting for some kind of piercing pain.  
  
And they did feel it...but from the freezing, cold water.  
  
Along with the freezing water, they were on brain freeze. The pressure of falling in, cursed through their body, only knowing to get to the top before it was too late...  
  
Then, just as Ash felt like his lungs were going to explode, he got above the water and began taking it deep breaths. Though it was still hard to keep above, when the water was moving to rapidly. He saw land, flashing past him, looking like comic book pages being flipped too fast.  
  
He knew he had to get to land, but he couldn't get there without Misty.  
  
"MISTY?!" he tried to call for her, while keeping his head higher than the water, "MISTY!"  
  
"ASH!" came her sudden reply. He looked over, and not to far away from him, he saw Misty trying to achieve the same thing.  
  
They both knew they couldn't lose each other, so they had the same idea: They started swimming towards each other, trying their best to fight the current.  
  
After a few minutes of struggling, they finally reached each other and grabbed each others hand. As soon as they did, they saw what lay up ahead...a waterfall.  
  
"MISTY, DON'T LET GO!" Ash screamed over the high pitched sound of the water, while also spitting out water.  
  
"I WON'T!" Misty answered back, squeezing Ash's hand as hard as she could.  
  
There was nothing to grab on to...nothing to rescue them.  
  
They screamed as they reached the down fall.   
  
It felt like the water was twirling them nonstop and shaking them back and forth...something their bodies had no control over.  
  
As they fell further and further, it was as though they were going faster and faster. Their stomachs took the place of their hearts, and their hearts took the place of their throats. They could no longer scream as the end came nearer...  
  
  
---------------------------------  
  
Okay, so how'd ya like part one? Like I said, I tried to put more action in it...did I succeed? I hope so! So, I'll try to put the next part up as soon as I can. And HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!  
  
  



	3. Dangers Around Every Corner

  
-------------------------  
Flames Shine Forth: Part 2  
by: Ash's #1 Fan  
-------------------------  
  
Cold. Unemotional. Frigid. Moist. Ash felt all of this things as he awoke from the most repulsive experience he has had yet. Somehow, he managed to get washed up on the muddy surface.  
  
The only sound he heard was that of the now gentle waves caressing the rocks that lay in the middle. This was enough to make him open his eyes, and with a low groan, lifted himself unsteadily with his arms.  
  
He was able to flip himself over, so he was in a sitting position. His body ached all over from the many falls that had taken place. Yet, he still found himself lucky, for he escaped all three plunges with just scrapes and bruises on his legs and arms.  
  
He felt himself jerk in surprise when he heard a soft moan to his right. He turned his head and saw Misty, also getting into an upright posture, holding her forehead once again.  
  
"Misty, are you all right?" Ash asked in a crackly voice.  
  
Misty carefully slid her legs up to her chest, so her arm would have support for holding her head, "Yeah, I...I think so."  
  
Misty looked over at Ash with the side of her eye. He looked awful in her opinion. His face and arms were somewhat bloody and wet with dirt. His clothes looked old and ragged with all the gaps missing. His hat was the same.  
  
But she could tell she was no charm herself. Her head felt as though she had the largest goose egg in history, while along with that, she could feel the fresh blood piling into her hand. Her skin and clothes were just as bad as Ash's, and she had a sensation her hair needed a good washing.  
  
Though, unlike Misty, Ash wasn't worried about how they looked, he was concerned about getting up and finding their way back to their campsite.  
  
And the sooner, the better. If he didn't get up right at that moment, he would never want to get up.  
  
He forced his arms to push him up and succeeded, but only for getting on his knees, then having to bend over so his arms could once again support him from falling face first into the mud.  
  
Misty saw all his strength, and had to admire him for that. She was amazed as she felt her lips slowly forming into a smile. She would never know how Ash always made her do that, even in times like this.  
  
"We better get started on getting back," Ash said suddenly.  
  
Misty tried to look up at him, for he was now standing up, but even the glistening of the water made her eyes hurt. Maybe that was why she felt so tired...  
  
"Right," Misty finally agreed and stood up, making sure not to move her head too much.  
  
Ash walked over to her cautiously, as to not hurt himself even more. He deliberately removed her hand.  
  
Misty didn't object, but she didn't want him to do that, either. She always tried to look at pretty as she could in front of him, and didn't actually want him to see her like this.  
  
Again, she asked, "How bad does it look?" Ash opened his mouth to say something, but Misty interrupted him quickly, "And Ash...please tell the truth."  
  
Ash closed his mouth. He didn't want to make her more worried, but he had no other choice...maybe it was best if she knew.  
  
"Well...you got a pretty big bumb on your forehead and by the way your squinting your eye...it looks like you're gonna have a black eye," Ash tried to say this as casual as he possibly could, but he had a doubt in his mind that Misty wouldn't take it that casualy.  
  
"What?!" Misty started to panic, taking a step away from Ash, "No...no...NO! I can't look like this, I..."  
  
"Misty!" Ash said, stepping forward and grabbing both of her hands, "Misty, it won't help you any to over react. Like it or not, it's there."  
  
Misty could feel herself on the brink of tears. She didn't like the way she looked with all those horrible things on her face. It made her sound like she were deformed, and though she had nothing against those kind of people, she didn't have no intentions of being one herself.  
  
She felt one tear escape from her right eye. Oh, no! This was worse. She hated Ash seeing her look like she did, let alone seeing her cry. The last thing she ever wanted was for Ash to feel sorry for her.  
  
Yet, when she saw his stern face turn into concern, she didn't feel pitiful. She felt cared for. Cared for by her best friend that she liked so much more than just that. And when she felt his soft hands brush away her tear and his gentle "shhh's", she wasn't determined like she used to be to hide her fears and tears, as she let one more tear fall. That one was more out of happiness.  
  
Once Ash saw that she was done letting her tears fall, he began talking slowly, "You okay now?"  
  
Misty nodded in responce. Ash realized he was still holding her hands, but let them go, blushing.  
  
"Okay, then, let's get going," he said, walking on a path that lead away from the water.  
  
Misty started to follow him, "Ash, do you know where you're going?"  
  
"Yeah," Ash said, as he turned back to look at her, "I have it all figured out. If we stay on this path, then that'll have to lead us somewhere. And that somewhere will most likely be left. Then all we have to do is get back up the waterfall and the hill we fell off of."  
  
"And how do you expect us to do that?" Misty questioned.  
  
Ash was silent for awhile, "Oh...guess I haven't figured everything out, heh."  
  
Misty sighed, "How did I know something wasn't right?"  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?!"  
  
"It means," Misty began sharply, "That no matter what, something you plan out will go wrong and we'll just get more lost!"  
  
Ash turned around to face her, fumming, "That is *not* true! I'll show you! I'll get us out of here in no time, then you'll be feeling guilty for ever doubting me!" Ash finally finished, turning back around and continuing to walk.  
  
"The only thing I'm gonna be feeling guilty for is for following you!" Misty snapped back, quickly putting her hand up to her head again, she was giving herself a headache.  
  
Ash frowned, "Whatever."  
  
Misty gave an angry look, followed by disappointment. The only thing she hated worse than fighting with Ash, was not talking to Ash at all. She inwardly kicked herself for starting the conflict. Sure, what she said *was* true...Ash always did get them lost, but at least he was trying.  
  
So, she continued following him, reluctantly, in silence.  
  
**********  
  
About two hours later...  
  
"ASH!!" Misty yelled, "I told you, you wouldn't know where we're going!"  
  
"I *do* know where we're going!" Ash snarled.  
  
"Then where are we?!" Misty asked, beginning to give herself a headache again.  
  
"Umm, well..." Ash stuttered, "I don't know...I was never here before."  
  
Misty groaned softly, making it louder, until it turned into a scream, "You are so impossible!"  
  
Ash tried to ignore the remark, as he saw the trail end. He began to get worried, but put that off to the side as he turned to face her, "ME?! I don't think so, Misty, 'cause for one...THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"  
  
"Mine?!" Misty looked taken aback, running a little to catch up with Ash, who turned left and began walking through the forest, "How can it be *my* fault?!"  
  
"If you woulda never pushed me away from Pikachu, we both wouldn't have fallen off that cliff, there for, not leading to being down here," Ash said calmly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"What?" Misty asked, a little shocked, now walking beside Ash, "Ash, if I didn't push you outta the way, you would have got hurt from that bomb."  
  
In his mind, Ash knew this was true. And he also knew he should be thanking her for that, instead of blaming her.  
  
"Yeah, well...it looks like I got hurt anyway."  
  
Misty stopped walking, to upset from Ash's pitiful selfishness to go on. This caused Ash to stop also, turning around to face her once again, waiting for her responce.  
  
"I can't believe you, Ash Ketchum...someone saves your life and you can't even be a *little bit* thankful," Misty made a 'te' sound, "How self-centered can you get?"  
  
As surprising as it was, Ash couldn't think of one comeback. Because he knew it was all too true to fight with. His face softened into a look of apology, "Misty I..."  
  
But before he could go on, he spotted something flying behind Misty.  
  
Misty saw the frightened look on his face, but didn't pay attention to it, "Well?..."  
  
Ash took a step back and pointed, "M-Misty...behind you."  
  
"Huh?" Misty was suddenly terrified to know what could be behind her, but found herself slowly turning around, when she spotted a Beedrill.  
  
Misty gasped. It was so close to her, looking like it was waiting for the perfect moment to attack.  
  
"Misty, just back away slowly..." Ash said, backing away himself.  
  
Misty began whimpering, as her legs suddenly became jell-o.  
  
Then, without warning, the Beedrill buzzed louder, meaning it was about to seige them.  
  
"AHHHH!!" both of them screamed at once, turning around and running as fast as they could, the Beedrill right behind them.  
  
From their lack of energy and pain stricken legs, they could hardly run fast enough. Plus, for Misty, running for your life was not a good option to take when your head is throbing tremendously.  
  
"Ash!..." she finally had to call, as she put a hand up to her head and began slowing down.  
  
Ash turned around, still running and saw this. The Beedrill was catching up to her, and if it caught her and stung her, she would be out of luck, since they had no kind of andidote with them. Then, that would make him out of luck without a heart...  
  
He ran back quickly, grabbing her other hand and practically dragged her to go faster. Misty could only look down at the ground flashing past her, as she forced her legs to keep moving.  
  
"In there!" she suddenly heard Ash scream. She managed to look up and saw a compressed bunch of trees that the Beedrill would have a hard time getting through.  
  
Though it seemed like a million miles away, they were only a few feet away...they could hear the Beedrill catching up to them, the buzzing sound ringing in their ears. Misty could almost feel her head bursting open as her headache directed more towards her temples...  
  
Then, they reached the dense trees, flying through the narrow opening, covering their faces from getting smacked with branches.  
  
Gradually, they heard the buzzing of the Beedrill getting further away, as the trees slowed it down. Yet, they could tell the Beedrill was still trying to get through to them.  
  
Misty took that chance to look back, and only saw a little speck that was the Beedrill, but never getting smaller. Abruptly, she felt her body being pulled to one side by Ash.  
  
He took them behind a tall, fat tree, making them both slide down to the ground, for the bottom was the roundest.  
  
They kept quiet for a few minutes, until they heard the Beedrill coming closer again. They both held their breath, praying the Beedrill will fly right past them.  
  
It came closer...and closer...and closer, until...  
  
Their prayer was answered. The Beedrill thought they kept running straight ahead, so that's where it went.  
  
Once it was out of ear shot, Misty was about to let out a deep breath, but Ash covered her mouth quickly.  
  
"Mmhffmm?" Misty mumbled under Ash's hand. She looked over at him and saw him looking straight ahead.  
  
"Misty...do...not...scream," Ash said, looking over at her.  
  
She suddenly became scared again, not knowing what to expect. But she looked out of the corner of her eye...and saw tons of bug pokemon.  
  
Misty's eyes grew wide, and slid back more against the tree, until she was so close to it, the only way she could go back further, was to go through it.  
  
Now Caterpie's and Weedle's and Spinarak's didn't seem like much to Ash, but to Misty, it was a very big deal.  
  
She wanted to get out of there fast, but didn't know whether the Beedrill was completly gone or not. It looked to her like they were all coming closer, though to someone who wasn't afraid of bugs, they wouldn't have noticed.  
  
Misty turned sideways and put her hands on the side of Ash's arms and her head on his shoulder, covering her eyes. Since she was close to her worst fear, she hardly knew she was doing this, she just wanted to be protected.  
  
Ash figured this, but still couldn't help feeling a little happy with Misty this close to him. He knew he had to get her away from there, before she did scream...if she ever found her voice.  
  
He wrapped his arms around her, making her stand up. Misty did so, as long as Ash would let her hang onto him.   
  
"Come on," he whispered into her ear, making sure none of the bug pokemon heard them.  
  
They walked around the tree, trying not to step on any crunchy leaves. Well...Ash was, Misty was just expecting him to look out for her at the moment. While Ash, on the other hand, was hoping against hope that the Beedrill would not decide to turn around.  
  
He moved her a few feet away from them, and when he did, he began talking normally again, "It's okay now, Mist."  
  
Misty lifted her head off his shoulder and looked around to make sure. Once she didn't see anything, that's when she realized how she was holding Ash.  
  
She stepped away from him, looking down, trying to hide her blush.   
  
Ash didn't notice as he looked around, "Okay, I think we're safe for awhile."  
  
At that moment, Ash's stomach decided to growl, causing him to blush this time, "Oops, heh, I guess I'm getting kinda hungry again, since we didn't eat before."  
  
Misty nodded, "I'm hungry, too...do you have anything?"  
  
Ash checked his jacket and his jean pockets, "Umm-er-uhh...no. I have food in my back pack, but I took that off at camp."  
  
"Oh...I gave my bag to Brock before I..." Misty stopped herself, she didn't want to get into *that* again, "So I don't have mine either."  
  
They were silent for a few minutes, not knowing what else to do.  
  
Misty finally broke the silence, "I wonder if Brock's okay."  
  
"Yeah," Ash agreed, "I hope he didn't get hurt...I remember hearing him scream. But if he is okay...I hope he rescued Pikachu."  
  
Ash looked down, suddenly missing Pikachu. He was always used to having it on his head, or by his side whenever he felt depressed.  
  
Misty saw how doleful he looked and gave a compassionate gaze, "Ash..."  
  
Ash decided to check his other pokemon. He lifted up his jacket and scaned his belt, but saw nothing.  
  
"What?" he looked all around his belt, "Oh, no...oh, no! I lost all my pokeballs!"  
  
He started to panic, "What if...what if I lost them when we were falling down the waterfall? They could be anywhere! And what if they're stuck somewhere where they can't get out to help me find them?! What if-"  
  
"Ash, calm down!" Misty interrupted, "We'll find them...don't worry."  
  
Ash looked at her like she was crazy, "Don't worry?! Misty, how can I not worry?! My pokemon are lost and if I don't find them..." Ash held his tongue, he didn't even want to think about what would happen if he didn't find them.  
  
"Ash, it won't help when you keep thinking about the bad if's," she said as comforting as possible.  
  
Ash looked up at her with tears in his eyes, "You're right..."  
  
He turned his back to her and walked in the direction they were heading. Misty saw his eyes shine and knew how terrible it was for him to not know where his pokemon were. But once she thought about, she wasn't so sure if her pokemon were safe either.  
  
She caught up to him, eyeing him. She could tell he was fighting with all his might not to cry. She could feel tears well up in her own eyes...every time she saw Ash cry, it always broke her heart.  
  
She put her hand on his shoulder, making him stop, but he didn't face her.  
  
"You gonna be okay?" Misty asked, gently.  
  
Ash unfolded and folded his fist back up, "Yeah...yeah, I'm fine."  
  
Misty could tell he wasn't telling the truth, but decided not to push it any further. If he didn't want comforted, that was his own choice.  
  
So, she nodded and let go of his shoulder.   
  
They began walking again, in silence, until they heard a clap of thunder...  
  
  
-----------------------------  
  
Okay, well, there's part 2 for ya! Sorry if the other part had too much action in it for such a short...part. But I was just making it lead to this, so, hope you like this part better. Please review! 


	4. A Little Romance

  
-----------------------------  
Flames Shine Forth: Part 3  
by: Ash's #1 Fan  
-----------------------------  
  
They both looked up at the sky that was getting dangerously dark. The clouds pushed into together, making the thunder seem like a loud rumble.  
  
"Oh, man! This is just what we need," Misty said, sarcastically. She reached her hands out to feel light raindrops softly hitting her.  
  
Ash was about to reply, but didn't have the chance, as everything happened at once. Lightening grasped the clouds that hid it, followed by thunder, making a deafening crack. From that, came a heavy downpour of Heaven's tears.  
  
Right away, Ash and Misty got soaked again, just as they were almost dry from the waterfall.  
  
"Come on! We gotta find some shelter!" Ash yelled to her, starting to run in a direction, hoping to find some place to keep them safe from the storm.  
  
Misty began running behind him, hiding her eyes from the rain, so she'll be able to see where she's heading.  
  
Quickly enough, Ash saw a tree with a door like opening at the bottom to keep them covered.  
  
"Over there!" Ash said, pointing in the direction of the tree.  
  
Misty didn't even see where Ash was pointing, she just followed the direction of his feet.  
  
As far as they both were concerned, they didn't get there fast enough. They got there, ducking to fit in without hitting their heads. Really, even if they didn't find shelter as fast as they did, they couldn't have been more drenched.  
  
They could hear each others loud breathing from their running, but the 'hole' was so dark, they couldn't make out each other's faces.  
  
Yet, Misty saw the outline of Ash sitting down in one corner. She decided to do the same, so she dragged her feet over to the other corner, laying her back against the damp tree.  
  
As soon as she caught her breath, she started to feel cold all over again, her wet clothes not helping any. She folded her knees up to her chest, wraping her arms around her legs. At that moment, she was wishing she had a blanket or her sleeping bag. Or even warm, comforting arms from a certain someone...  
  
She looked over at Ash. Her eyes getting more adjusted to the darkness, so she could plainly see that he was just as cold. She knew they would both be warmer if they were closer together...but she couldn't admit that to *him*.  
  
She looked down. Finally sitting down and not running around every where, reminded her that she was tired. If she wasn't so frozen and uncomfortable, she would be dozing off with no problem at all.  
  
"Misty?"  
  
Misty looked over at the boy that said her name. She wasn't expecting either of them to talk to each other, though she didn't know why...  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
She heard a few breaths from Ash before he began talking again, "Are you okay?"  
  
She opened her mouth to reply that she was all right, but stopped herself. What if she told Ash she wasn't okay and could tell she was getting a very bad case of the flu? Would he comfort her? Hold her? She wasn't sure...and it really wasn't a lie. After all, she wasn't that great and knew she would get a pretty bad cold after all this.  
  
But, "I'll be fine..." was all that came out of her mouth. Yet, she was surprised at how she sounded: Her voice was shaking from her wet clothes sinking deep onto her skin. She reached her hand up and, with one finger, gently touched her lips. She hardly thought she was touching them, though, for they were numb. She could just picture in her mind, how shaky, yet frozen, and purple her lips were.  
  
With all this in mind, she didn't even hear Ash slide over to her, so he was sitting right beside her.  
  
"But what about now?" Ash asked her, almost in a whisper.  
  
Misty jumped, "What?"  
  
He slid even closer to her, "You said you'd be fine...but what about now?"  
  
She looked over to see his eyes, but saw nothing, just felt his hand just barely rubbing against the back of hers. He was doing this so slowly, that she hardly felt her hand being lifted closer to him.  
  
Lightening flashed, lighting up the dark tree for a few seconds...but just enough for them to see each other. They were looking into the others eyes...how they knew exactly where to look through the dark, they'd never know.  
  
Misty saw all the worry and care in his eyes that she loved to see so much. She could catch a Dratini and still not be as happy as to see Ash caring about her.  
  
Ash could've swore he saw tears and...love? in her eyes. Oh, how much he just wanted to scoop her into his arms and just let her cry out her worries, with him right there for her. But instead, being as nervous as he sometimes was around her, the best he could do is ask if she was all right.  
  
The lightening disappeared, then thunder was heard again. After the rumbling died down for the moment again, the only sound was the pounding of the rain.  
  
That's when Misty remembered Ash was still waiting for an answer, "I...I'm fine, Ash. Don't worry."  
  
She felt her hand being embraced by both of Ash's now, making it seem warmer, though Ash was cold, too.  
  
"I don't think I wanna stop worrying..." Ash said, shocked of what he was saying.  
  
Misty, too, was shocked. She always thought Ash was too young to know what true love was...not that she was thinking he loved her, of course! But to say something like that, has to have some sort of love behind it...was she talking to the *real* Ash?  
  
"Ash..." she began, but shut up when she felt Ash's one hand leave her hand, reaching up to her face.  
  
"Oh, Misty...you're freezing," he said, moving even closer to her. He cautiously put his arm around her shoulders, squeezing her close to him.  
  
"Ash, I don't think..." Misty said, but only out of bewilderment. She was never, ever expecting him to do this.  
  
Yet...isn't this what she wanted? Yes, she was positive. But when she thought about it...it seemed much less...embarrassing maybe? No, that isn't the word. She guessed the only way to explain it was that when she dreamt about it...it didn't seem quite so real, yet enjoyable all the same.  
  
But when reality came to mind, knowing Ash was really holding her, and this wasn't some hopeful dream, it brought so much more pleasure to her mind, that she forgot all about being cold.  
  
Until she felt Ash's arm leave her...  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Misty..." Ash said quietly, heartbroken.  
  
Before Misty could think, she hurried up and grabbed his arm before he could move over to the other corner again.  
  
"No, wait, Ash! I..." she could make out his head turning back towards her, "I just wanted to say that...I don't think I want you to go."  
  
Ash blinked twice, not that it helped any. He was just surprised Misty wanted...well, him to stay beside her.  
  
He sat back down beside her again, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, too. This time, Misty didn't say anything, and neither of them wasn't expecting her to.  
  
At first, she did feel a little awkward, since she's never been in this kind of position with Ash. But, she had to admit, she really enjoyed it. And it wasn't long after, that Misty slowly tilted her head to the side, resting it on Ash's shoulder. However, she lifted it back up quickly and held her head.  
  
Ash noticed this reaction, "Misty, what's wrong?"  
  
"M-my head hurts...when I tilt it, it feels like all the blood is rushing to just one side of my head..." she said, closing her eyes.  
  
Ash didn't say anything, he felt too horrible to say something. Though he didn't want either of them to be hurt, he would gladly take her place, after all, he was a lot more used to pain than she was.  
  
He wrapped his other arm around her front, pulling her into a light embrace. And he didn't even know it, but he was crying...  
  
Misty knew it, though. When he held her, it was unlike any other passion she ever felt. His face was slightly brushing against her neck, which massaged it. She could've fell asleep just like that, until she felt warm drops hitting her neck.  
  
As much as she hated to, she pulled him away from her, seeing sparkles coming from his moist eyes. She reached her free hand up, gently caressing the part of his face beside his eyes. He grabbed her hand again, holding it tightly, pressing it closer to his face. It was almost as if he wasn't sure if she were there, or not.  
  
They began feeling each other's breathing. Getting warmer and warmer as their faces came nearer. Their minds started spinning, so they closed their eyes.  
  
Their lips touched...but didn't move. They both were not experienced in this kind of thing and didn't know what to expect.  
  
'So this is why people close their eyes when they kiss...to stop from getting dizzy and passing out,' they both thought, a little childishly.  
  
They pulled apart quickly, sensing that nothing else was going to happen, since neither of them was making another move.  
  
"I..." they both said at once, not really knowing what do after.  
  
But even before either of them had time to talk, blush, move, or anything else, lightening once again illuminated the black tree, that looked to them to be awfully close.  
  
The lightening disappeared. Then, something worse came with it...  
  
Between the thunder crackling and the rain pounding, they heard something slowly snapping. They were both silent, trying to figure out what they were hearing.  
  
Soon, the snapping sounded like a million bones breaking into more than three pieces. It became louder and faster, able to give goose pimples immediately.  
  
Then, just as their ears were about to burst, a huge bang happened...not caused by the thunder.  
  
Misty had no idea what happened. She was trying to cover her ears and keep her now worse headache under control. Yet, when she heard nothing else, she opened her eyes and the tree seemed...darker to her.  
  
"Ash...what happened?" she was almost afraid to ask.  
  
"I...I think a tree got struck by lightening and it fell...over our exit," Ash said, and Misty could even tell, he was now scared to death.  
  
Scared to death wasn't even close of an explanation for her, more like petrified, "WHAT?! No...NO! That isn't right...the tree couldn't have fell over our exit! We are NOT stuck in here, you're just imagin-," she was beginning to over-react.  
  
"Misty! Calm down, please! You worrying won't get us nowhere!" Ash told her, trying to settle her down, along with himself.  
  
"But Ash...," she slid closer to him, putting her hands on his shoulders, "How is *anything* supposed to get us *anywhere*...now?" she asked, her eyes shaking, though Ash couldn't see.  
  
Though he could sense the fear in her voice and felt her hands trembling on him. He wanted to reasure her, tell her everything would be fine by morning and someone will find them. Yet...he wondered *how* anyone would ever find them where they were!  
  
"I...I don't know, Misty," was all he could say for her.  
  
Misty let out a sob she couldn't keep in. She couldn't help it. From their position, it seemed that they would spend their last few days inside the tree. No food, no sunlight, no life...  
  
Without any of that, it would be a slow and painful death. She slowly put her arms around his neck, putting her head on his shoulder now, biting her lip, fighting against everything, so she wouldn't cry.  
  
Ash knew how she felt. He was just as scared, he just wasn't the one to show his emotions too much. And as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her as close as he could, he knew they were going to be all right. He didn't know how he knew...he just did.  
  
He leaned back against the 'wall', making his back more comfortable. She went with him, never moving from her current position. He began rubbing her back gently, soothing her as much as he could.  
  
Misty sucked in a wavery breath and let it out slowly. She began thinking about earlier. That kiss. Was that kiss meant to happen? Did Ash even remember it? She might not blame him, after all, she's depending on him to comfort her and trying to find a way to get free.  
  
She heard Ash whisper her name, she wanted to answer, but suddenly felt too tired to respond. She wouldn't mind if Ash talked to her though, it might help the time pass.  
  
Two minutes passed...he said nothing. She began drifting further and further into sleep.  
  
It wasn't until about five minutes went by, that she heard him say something. Something that can make her smile, even if she knew she was going to die.  
  
"I love you..."  
  
  
------------------------ 


End file.
